Rules Regarding Riding Wake In Moloka'i Hoe
I think that riding any wake is OK. What's not allowed is having your escort boat deliberately make a wake for you to ride.
#1 Sun, 10/12/2008 - 2:54pm
Rules in Tahiti
1- Riding your own escort boat's wake => Forbiden => Penalty.
2- Riding someone else's escort boat's wake => OK, the captain of that boat has to be aware of where his wake is. If he gives you the opportunity to surf and to overpass his own team... that's HIS problem.
3- Riding a non-escort boat's wake => Not OK. It would be too easy to have friends in a "non-escort" boat... Your escoart boat has to keep other boats away from your canoe. If he doesn't do it => Penalty.
There is a race official in every escort boat. At the end of the race he has to report anything he saw during the race.
#3 Sun, 10/12/2008 - 5:31pm
What about purposely creating chop for other crews? I definitely noticed some escort boat drivers pulling disruptive maneuvers... seems like bad sportsmanship, at least, but is it against the rules?
#4 Sun, 10/12/2008 - 7:16pm
From http://molokaihoe.org/racerules.asp
"Each escort/auxiliary boat must follow behind its assigned canoe throughout the race, except for swamped and overturned canoes. It can at no time come along side or ahead of the canoe except for during the transfer of relief paddlers, supplies, or in the case of an emergency, and it must make way without deliberately blocking, or causing interference, or wake to any approaching canoe.
At no time will an escort/auxiliary deliberately cause a wake to assist their own canoe or interfere with another canoe.
At all times, escort/auxiliary boats must maintain a safe distance from canoes and other boats.
Canoes always have the right-of way over escort/auxiliary boats.
Escort/auxiliary boats cannot block or cause a wake to approaching canoes."
#5 Sun, 10/12/2008 - 7:42pm
When you're in the canoe all wakes are fair game. You can't be figuring out where did this wake come from?
#8 Mon, 10/13/2008 - 6:39am
Numerouno,
I would assume that any boat found to be intentionally assisting or harming with a wake would be in the wrong.
however I would assume that if it was not an official escort boat it would have no identification and therefore hard for the officials to to know who to DQ.
It would be up to the crews escort driver to keep boats away and to make sure no one is helping their crew.
however that all goes out the window during the race as boats are flying around trying to find their crew and make their changes.
Who know if that helps but I agree with Hiro. One official per escort boat. Each crew should provide one therefore it doesn't fall just on the hands of OHCRA to obtain them.
#10 Mon, 10/13/2008 - 10:16am
Shell Vaa paddling with 20 guys and riding wake of 3 escort boats. Everyone knows hard work is overrated and cheating is where it's at.
#13 Mon, 10/13/2008 - 2:50pm

Just watched the canoes come in from Daimond Head.
I'm curious, what are the rules in regards to riding wakes in the Moloka`i Hoe? Obviously, riding one's own escort boat wake is prohibited; but what about other boats, specifically, non-escort boat wakes?
Submitted by numerouno on